This invention relates broadly to a device for converting rotary motion to oscillating motion. More particularly, this invention relates to a gum massage device wherein the rotating shaft of a power unit is mechanically connected to a soft tipped wand in such a manner as to cause the wand to oscillate.
Gum massage devices are well known, and a variety of mechanisms for this purpose have been proposed. Massaging of the gums is an extremely important aspect of dental hygiene to stimulate circulation in the gums and maintain them in a strong and healthy state. Regular stimulation of the gums helps among other things to avoid the serious condition known as pyorrhea, which is an inflammation of the sockets of the teeth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,617 and the numerous references cited therein provide a good history of the many types of vibrating or oscillating dental hygiene devices that heretofore have been proposed. In one type of device, the power unit itself contains the necessary mechanics to impart an oscillating motion to the wand. Another type of such device includes a vibrator element in the power unit, which produces a corresponding vibrating effect in the wand. While many of these devices perform the desired function of providing a gum massage, the mechanics thereof are usually very complex and hence expensive to produce, or are inefficient in producing the desired oscillatory motion in the soft tipped wand.